Sunday
Sunday Closing Service
It Cant Be Over Yet
Sunday, September 29th, came must to fast for most people. It was the
parish’s 2nd T-Shirt Day, the first held during the parish’s
50th
anniversary of dedication. This time around members of the parish wore
specially designed Faith Alive T-Shirts which were worn at both morning
masses and the evening service.
Faith Alive officially closed out during the 9:00 AM Family Eucharist.
The
church was packed to capacity and chairs were once again required to
accommodate the crowd. Philip Gray and Larry Saunders were once again
leading the Praise and Worship service. The Church was celebrating the
Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. It was coincidence or perhaps
divinely appointment that the color designated for the day, gold and white,
were colors used in the designed of the Faith Alive logo and the Altar
frontal. The stage was set for a visually beautiful liturgy; the rest
would
be left to the Holy Spirit.
It would not be long for the Holy Spirit’s presence to be felt
in the
service. The congregation, led by a combined choir of fifty voices, led
the
congregation in the chorus “What a Mighty God We Serve.” It
would set the
stage for spirit led singing throughout the service.
Representation of the weekend’s activities took the usual spot
of a sermon
at this particular service. Selected members of the Teen program performed
a skit based on the Prodigal Son story. Although it was unrehearsed, it
was
very well received by the congregation. There was also time for witnesses
to share about the work of God in their lives. Both our guests and
parishioners took part in this portion of the service. Then came a
peculiar, but special moment in the service. Members of the witnessing
team
were invited to the Altar where they were prayed for and anointed. They
then knelt on the inside of the rail and members of the congregation drew
nigh to be prayed for. Individual and families knelt in the solemnity
of
the moment. Many wept and shivered as prayers were offered on their behalf
to almighty God. It was a moment that none who shared in it would soon
forget.
At the conclusion of the prayers the congregation rededicated themselves
to
the work of the Lord through the commitment rite used yearly at the diocesan
commitment service.
“Jesus the light of the World” and “We’re Marching
to Zion” heralded the
start of the Eucharistic portion of the Sunday service. At the close of
communion, the combined choir, led by soloist, Nicolette Archer sang the
anthem “Order My Steps” -- as arranged by Mark Hayes.
Not soon afterward, at the conclusion of the post communion hymn and
the
blessing, Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” exploded from
the choir loft. Heads
in the congregation were turned westward as members delighted in the music
of Handel and the words of Holy Scripture.
“Hallelujah!” was the only word that Fr. Kingsley Knowles,
Rector of the
parish could seemingly find describe the weekend’s experience and
the
closing service. Once he had gathered his composure, he thanked all
concerned in the planning and successful execution of the parish’s
first
Faith Alive experience. The weekend’s director, Graham Ernest-Jones,
also
spoke of his experience at St. George’s. “I must say that
I have never met
so many enthusiastic people for a weekend such as this”, he said.
“One
could see from the beauty that surrounds us that you made every effort
to
make certain that the weekend would be a success. I am happy to tell you
all that it has been that and more. We will take back with us, to the
National Office, our experiences at St. George’s and we will never
forget
you.” Members of the visiting team then stood and were given a rousing
round of applause for their participation and their witness among us.
As the service drew to a close with the singing of the hymn “We
have an
Anchor” members of the congregation could tell, by peering through
the
windows and doors that there seemed to me more excitement outside the
church. In fact, there was one final act to perform to bring the service
to
an end.
As the congregation left the church they were each given a Faith Alive
helium-filled balloon. “I will give thanks to you O Lord with my
whole
heart,” exclaimed Fr. Knowles to the congregation of more than four
hundred,
who had now gathered on the outside of the church. The Thanksgiving
prayer, written by a member of the publicity committee was recited by
all.
“We commit to you now, Lord, a new church, a new people, committed
to your
service. With our Faith renewed and our lives restored, may we be faithful
witnesses of your peace and of your power to move and transform. Now,
Lord,
as these symbols ascend to the heavens, may the past be put behind us.
May
we look forward to a future that is bright, filled with promise, filled
with
excitement and filled with an earnest desire to do your will” prayed
the
congregation.
Again Fr.. Knowles exclaimed “May the Name of the Lord be praised”.
The
people responded: “From now to eternity. Amen. Hallelujah!”
With that,
more than three hundred and fifty balloons were released to the sky.
Members of the congregation applauded as the balloons moved quickly out
of
sight. Then the sounds of goat skin drums and whistles floated over the
congregation as members of the music and youth ministry staged a Junkanoo
rush-out. “The Valley! The valley!” could be heard chanted
throughout the
crowd. After a few minutes, the rush-out completed, members of the
congregation could be heard commenting on the weekend’s activities.
“It was amazing” said Mrs. Harriett Ingraham. “I find
that the things of
the Lord are always exciting and this is no less that I had expected.”
“I must say that in the seven years that I have been working with
Faith
Alive both in Nassau and the Family Island, I have never seen such a crowd
of young people” said John-Michael Clarke. “It is obvious
that St. George’
s has a large amount of talented young members. The challenge for St.
George’s will be to incorporate the non-traditional into the traditional
church and I am sure that St. George’s can face that task.
As members of the congregation slowly made their way back to their homes,
members of the visiting team were given one last Bahamian meal before
their
departure to their various homes.
This is the text for Sunday evening evaluation service
Its Not Over … til its over
The Parish’s thanksgiving session, held on Sunday evening in lieu
of the
traditional evensong service would end the weekend’s actives. This
was a
time where members of the parish gave their views on their expectation
and
results of their Faith Alive Experience. Many parishioners took the
opportunity to speak candidly about the various needs of the parish. It
was
at this point that the Follow-up committee announced its plans for cell
church and the necessary leadership seminars that will be put into place
to
make these and other innovative programs happen in St. George’s.
The final word of the night belonged to the Curate of the Parish, Rev’d
Fr.
Mark Fox, whose idea brought about the introduction of Faith Alive to
the
Parish. “We need to remain open to great possibilities that exists
for us
as Christians” said Fr. Mark. “Our God is an awesome God.
Faith in God
produces faith in and love for each other. The evidence that our faith
is
indeed alive lies in the Love we displayed for one another and the service
we render in His Name. “
The Weekend of Faith
Alive
- Preparation
- Friday
- Team Meeting
- Dinner
- General Session
- Children & Teens Program
- Saturday
- Team Meeting
- Home Visit (Cell Group)
- Kids & Teenager Program
- Men & Women Meet
- Saturday Evening Session
- Pictures
|
